Because you are disabled.

File for disability benefits.

Appeal your case.

How you presented your initial application was the best you could do at that time given what you knew and were told.

But, if you were not successful, appeal (1) because you are disabled and (2) because you can improve on your presentation.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

The Lottery & Voting

Mega Millions $1.6 Billion jackpot.  

Buy a lottery ticket because it’s fun.   

Vote because it is the responsible thing to do.


If you can take the time to buy lottery tickets, surely you can take the time to vote in the mid-terms. One action is based on ignoring ridiculously absurd probabilities. The other action is standing for basic American democratic concepts such as checks and balances and three equal branches of government.

Here’s where voting for the Democratic Party candidate is essential.  The Republican Party simply has not acted as a check and balance on the current administration.

Social Security & Disability Are At Stake.

 

If the Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, they will follow Mitch McConnell’s agenda as outlined by the Los Angeles Times.

“At the root of the debate are interviews the Senate majority leader gave to Bloomberg and Reuters on Tuesday and Wednesday. McConnell identified ‘entitlements’ — that’s Washington code for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — as ‘the real drivers of the debt’ and called for them to be adjusted “to the demographics of the future.’”  In fact, it is the “budget-blasting tax cut for corporations and the wealthy that is estimated to cost some $2 trillion over the next 10 years.”  As the LA Times put it: “the real driver of the deficit is Republican fiscal policy and its relentless payouts to the wealthy.” http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-mcconnell-social-security-20181019-story.html

The Republicans will continue to restrict health insurance and maybe eliminate coverage for pre-existing conditions.  They will continue to take no action regarding voter rights, respect for freedom of the press, respect for an independent Justice Department and special counsel’s office, campaign finance reform, climate change, consumer protection, and banking reforms.  

Ask yourself what have the Republicans done to ban assault weapons or to make background checks effective, what have they done to guarantee proper veterans' care, what have they done on job training in the face of automation and what relief have they provided for college debt.

The Republicans lack empathy when considering issues involving the disabled and women and minorities and immigrants and children (all of whom are human beings). They will continue to allow American’s foreign policy and tariffs to be toyed with by an under-informed president characterized by questionable personal and business interests.

You may not win the lottery on Tuesday, October 23, but you can win for democracy on Tuesday, November 6.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

2.8 % COLA for 2019


 2019 SOCIAL SECURITY CHANGES

 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA).
 
Based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2017 through the third quarter of 2018, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries will receive a 2.8 percent COLA for 2019.  Other important 2019 Social Security information is as follows. 

Disability Thresholds


Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)

                                             2017                                   2018

Non-Blind
$1,180/mo.
$1,220/mo.



Blind
$1,970/mo.
$2,040/mo.



Trial Work Period (TWP)
$ 850/mo.
$ 880/mo.

 

  

Thursday, June 21, 2018

ALJ Constitutionality

The Supreme Court decision in Lucia v. SEC, June 21, 2018, can have a big impact on Social Security--if Social Security Administrative Law Judges are found unconstitutional (that is, all present ALJs are not properly appointed, all are out of office), I predict chaos at the hearing office.


If ALJs cannot be appointed administratively as at present, then they must be appointed as regular federal judges or possibly as federal executive officials by the president.
 
See the discussions at Charles Hall's blog:  https://socsecnews.blogspot.com/